Since this thread seems to be the repository for all info about defunct Edmonton Tiki restaurants/bars besides the Beachcomber (and the late, unlamented Monkey Island), I thought I'd post what I know about the Waikiki Restaurant, since several people have asked me about it.

It was a Chinese restaurant that opened in the mid to late 1960's. I used to go there quite often with my family - it was near our house. There was nothing Tiki about it that I remember - just a typical, unremarkable modern Chinese-Canadian restaurant (my memory could be wrong - it often is).

The restaurant closed (not sure when) but the stand-alone building still exists. It's a cement block structure shaped like a pagoda. It's currently occupied by a Chinese herbalist.

The murals aren't original - they were added by the current tenant.

The Waikiki had swizzles shaped like the building. I thought I had one but I can't find it. Maybe someone else can provide a picture.

On 2010-07-14 23:13, Sweet Daddy Tiki wrote: There was nothing Tiki about it that I remember - just a typical, unremarkable modern Chinese-Canadian restaurant (my memory could be wrong - it often is).

I think we're friends SDT, so please read the tone of these questions in the best possible way:

If it wasn't tiki in any way, why the name Waikiki? Why did it have it's own swizzel stick (I mean, was it common for Chinese restaurants to do this too)? And why did my co-worker think it was "very tiki" when she mentioned it to me that she used to go there when she was a kid in the late 60's?

In many ways I know I could answer each of those questions to reflect exactly what you just stated...but it is interesting to me that this so called "typical, unremarkable modern Chinese-Canadian restaurant" has those 3 anomalies.
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Those are good questions. I dunno. Waikiki was a popular vacation destination in the 60's. Every bar and restaurant in town had swizzle sticks. Proves nothing. Like I said, I could be wrong. I just remember a standard restaurant - acoustic tile ceiling, white tablecloths, nothing really sticks out in my memory but I wasn't attuned to tiki then the way I am now. We also used to go to the 7 Seas all the time and I though that was just a regular Chinese place, but pictures I've seen of the interior show a few tiki elements, like matting on the walls and vaguely tiki-ish masks. So who knows? Maybe there are some pictures floating around somewhere but I've never seen any. Pump your co-worker for more info. I'd love to be proven wrong.

By the way - no Christmas card for you this year _________________-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

Welcome to TC, TikiTikiEdmontonCalgary. Glad to have you here. What stories do you have? Do you have any photographs or artifacts? Spill!
_________________-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

Aloha TikiTikiEdmontonCalgary. Please stop teasing us, I can't wait to see what you dig up. I was a customer and having been looking for something from the Tiki Tiki for my small collection. I just started a few months ago.
If you are interested in selling anything I would love a chance to make you an offer.
My most sincere apologies to all Local TCer's. I had to ask!

On 2013-02-05 18:32, Kilaueakyd wrote:Aloha TikiTikiEdmontonCalgary. Please stop teasing us, I can't wait to see what you dig up. I was a customer and having been looking for something from the Tiki Tiki for my small collection. I just started a few months ago.
If you are interested in selling anything I would love a chance to make you an offer.
My most sincere apologies to all Local TCer's. I had to ask!

Sorry, won't be selling anything.

I won't have time to go through boxes and dig anything up, way too much going on in my life now... sorry.

Thanks for checking in. Certainly hope that at some point you can find the time to look through your archives and post some photos from your family collection. That is one of the great things about Tiki Central - to document Tiki's past through the images and eyes of participants - which I am sure you can appreciate having found us here in the first place!

Kilaueakyd - I have some extra Tiki Tiki swizzles, shoot me a PM and lets see if we can't send a few your way.

Sweet Daddy Tiki - I suddenly realized I also need to send a few things your way from long ago!